Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The invention relates to a structural
assembly, particularly for use in a shower partition,
comprising a support member in the form of a profiled
rail having, on one outer surface, first channel of
which one side flange is undercut to form a groove, and
having a facing panel arranged in the first channel by
means of a connecting elemen-t lodged partly in the
undercut groove.
German Utility Model 80 13 940 describes an
assembly of this kind for a shower partition. The outer
face of the profiled rail, visible to a facing observer,
comprises a channel into which is inserted a facing panel
made of plastic, wood, or the like. The channel is
provided with undercut grooves in which a resilient con-
necting element engages, the said element being in turnin communication with the facing panel. The connecting
element, and the facing panel are of considerable height
at right angles to the outer surface of the profiled
rail, and this accordingly reduces the space available
inside of the rail. For a profiled rail of
predetermined structural height, the overal structural
volume and structural height of the assembly must be
correspondingly great. On the whole, this requires a
not inconsiderable amount of material, as a result of
which the material costs and total weight of the assembly
are correspondingly great.
It is therefore an object of the present
invention to to provide a structural assembly of the
above type at low cost and in such a manner that the
structural height required to fit the facing panel to
the profiled rail is comparatively small. A reliable
and properly operable attachment of the facing panel to
the profiled rail is thus ensured, as well as inexpensive
production, even in large numbers, especially the
connecting element. Another object is to make it
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possible to fit the facing panel simply and reliably
to the profiled rail. Another object is to detach the
facing panel fro~ the profiled rail, if necessary,
withou-t difficulty. Simple replacement of a facing panel
is thus possible at any time.
In order to accomplish these objects~ it is
proposed that the faciny panel comprise a longitudinal
second channel which opens towards the groove in one
of the flanges of the first channel and that the con-
ne ting element be arranged on the inner of the facingpanel, partly in the longitudinal second panel and
partly in the groove.
The assembly according to the invention is
of simple and ine~pensive construction. An extremely
low overall height is obtained by providing the con-
necting element on the inward side of the facing panel.
A reliable and strong mounting of -the connecting element
is made possible by the longitudinal second channel
opening towards the first channel broove, thus
preventing inadvertent release of the facing panel.
The longitudinal second channel provided according to
the invention also constitutes a mirror-image of the
groove of first guide channel. The connecting element
is located partly in the groove of the first channel
and partly in the second channel, thus ensuring firm
anchorage. Within the scope of the invention, it is also
possible for the facing panel to be provided with two
longitudinal second channels open on both sides.
Arranged in these two second channels are corresponding
connecting elements which engage in respective laterally
arranged grooves of the side flanges of the first channel
of the profiled rail. If only one longitudinal second
channel is provided then, according to the invention,
one stepped leg of the facing panel engages in the other,
opposing groove of the first channel.
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In one interesting embodiment, one web or leg
of the facing panel res-ts upon -the bottom of the first
channel, in which case the second channel for the con-
necting element may be located in this said web or leg.
On the one hand, the web or leg makes it possible to
achieve considerable stiffness in the facing panel and,
on the other hand, it ensures satisfactory support
thereof on the profiled rail. If any force acts upon the
surface of the facing panel, damage to or bowing thereof
are practically eliminated, but in spite of this, the
facing panel may be made relatively flat, require
little material, and thus have little weight.
In another embodiment, the leg is straight
and arranged substantially parallel with the inner face
or upper surface of the facing panel and the longitudinal
second groove is thus formed by the said leg and inner
surface of the facing panel. On the one hand, the leg
provides reliable support and accommodation of the con-
necting element in the facing panel and, on the other
hand, this results in a particularly compact and space-
saving construction. Assembly is not inconsiderably
facilitated, since the connecting element is initially
simply slid or inserted into the longitudinal second
channel with no need for accurate alignment or locking.
In still another embodiment, the connecting
element comprises a lateral projection which projects
beyond one side edge of the facing profile and engages
in the associated groove of the first channel. This is
a particularly simple way of making it possible for the
projection to travel comparatively long distances
laterally, or in a plane parallel with the surface of the
facing panel, as it is inserted into the profiled rail.
Furthermore, during assembly, it is a simple matter to
check whether the connecting element is correctly
inserted into, or connected to, the facing panel.
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In yet another embodiment, the width of the
straight leg ex~ending in the direc-tion of the
longitudinal axis of the proEiled rail amounts to at
least ~5% oE the overall width of the facing panel.
This provides a favourable compromise between the amount
of material used and a reliable connection. The connecting
element can be reliably supported in the second channel
thus designed which is located between the comparatively
long leg and the inner surface of the facing panel.
This is of interest in the event of forces acting from
the outside which might tend to rip the facing panel out of
the first channel. The design-width of the leg ensures
reliable support of the connecting element and prevents
inadvertent release of this element from the second
channel.
According to these embodiments, the outer
surface of the facing panel, the outer surface of the
profiled rail, and/or parts thereof are all located at
least approximately in the same plane. The facing
panel is, as it were, embedded in the outer surface of
the profiled rail, so that possible lateral forces cannot
in practice act upon the said facing panel. It is
obvious that this reliably prevents damage to, or release
of, the facing panel, even under the heaviest stresses.
According to still another embodiment, the
connecting element comprises at least one resilient
part and/or area which acts substantially perpendicularly
to the bottom surface of the first channel and/or the
inner surface of the facing panel. This resilient part
or area provides suitable bracing of the facing panel in
the profiled rail, substantially perpendicularly to the
upper or outer surface thereof. The facing panel is
thus braced in the profiled rail both perpendicularly to
the surface, by the said resilient part or area and
laterally, by the locking means according to the
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inven-tion. This ensures that the mounting of the facing
panel in the profiled rail is reliable and meets all
operational requirements.
In one desirable arrangement, the resilien-t
part is in the form of a tongue obtained by producing,
preferably stamping out, a preferably U-shaped slot
extending over the en-tire height of the connecting
element, and then bending the tongue out of the said
connecting element. A tongue of this kind is simple
to malce without special expenditure, thus making it
possible to keep production costs low.
According to one practical arrangement, the
projection and/or a lever connected thereto is of a
predetermined length in the direction of the longitudinal
axis of the proflled rail. The projection and/or le~Jer
thus running in the direction of the longitudinal axis,
make it a particularly simple matter to predetermine the
length of spring travel and the obtainable spring force.
- It is desirable to arrange, between the projection
and the remainder of the connecting element, a preferably
approximately L-shaped slot. The width of this slot is
predetermined, so that when the facing panel, together
with the connecting element, are inserted, the spring
can yield resiliently and can be pressed, as it were,
into the said slot. This is a reliable way of eliminating
locking or clamping.
In order to achieve inexpensive production, the
projection and the tongue are produced in a single
operation, preferably by stamping out the above-mentioned
slot. It is to be noted that the connecting element may
easily be made from strip material, the projections and
resilient parts or tongues being spaced suitabIy apart in
the longitudinal direction.
Thus, when the connecting element is of the
same length as the facing panel, several similarly
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designed projections and tongues are dis-tributed over the
leng-th. If necessary, however, several small parts of
appropriately designed connecting elements may also be
provided for a single facing panel, each connecting
element having at least one projection and one resilient
par-t or corresponding tongue. In all cases, however, it
is desirable to prefabricate the connecting element
endlessly, as it were, in a long strip, cutting it to be-
desired length as required.
According to one practical fea-ture, the con-
necting element may be designed as a moulded plastic
part. Mouldings of this kind can be made in the desired
shape and to -the desired dimensions particularly simply,
in large numbers and inexpensively.
According to one particularly interesting
variant, the connecting element is resiliently deformable
in the direction of the longitudinal axis. Thus when the
facing panel and connecting element are inserted, a
reduction in overall width takes place at right angles to
the longitudinal axis, in such a manner that the outer
edge or the connecting element slides upon the associated
inner edge which is located in the vicinity of the surface
of the profiled rail. As a result of the elastic or
Elexible properties of the material of the connecting
element according to the invention, an increase in overall
width takes place after the insertion, in such a manner
that a part of the said connecting element engages in the
associated groove in the profiled rail, thus ensuring
a firm and reliable connection.
According to one practical embodiment, the
connecting element is approximately wave-shaped in the
direction of the longitudinal axis so that, after
insertion into the first channel, a lateral arc, or the
like, engages in the associated groove in the profiled
rail.
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According to a further embodiment, the con-
necting element is of subs-tantially constant cross-
section ln the direction of the longitudinal axis, the
said cross-section being reducible for insertion into
the groove of the profiled rail. As a result of the
resilient properties of the material, a cross-sectional
reduction takes place in such a manner that the connecting
element previously inserted into the second channel has
no difficulty in sliding upon the inner edge of the
profiled rail. After insertion, the load on the con-
necting element is relieved, so that the cross-section
is restored to its original size and the connecting
element finds itself partly in the said groove in the
profiled rail and partly in the second channel in the
facing panel.
From the point of view of production costs, it
has been found particularly expedient to provide a con-
necting element made of rubber or some resiliently
deformable synthetic material. For example, the said
connecting element may be made from connercially
available rubber or plastic shapes of circular or possibly
oval or other cross-section which may be cut to the
desired length. In this case, the length of the con-
necting element is predetermined in such a manner that,
after it has been placed in the second channel of the
facing panel provided, the ends of the connecting element
project, by a hand's breadth for example, beyond the
facing panel. For insertion into the profiled rail, the
connecting element must then be stretched longitudinally,
elther by hand or, if necessary, by a suitable auto-
matical]y controlled machine, in order to achieve the
reduction in cross-section required according to the
invention. After the said connecting element has been
inserted into the profiled rail, the projecting ends of
the element are simply cut off. This obviously ensures
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a particularly simple connection between the facing
panel and the proflled rail which can be carried out
with a minimum oE labour.
In one special embodiment, the facing panel has
an approximately centrally located web, with a straight
leg, which rests upon -the bottom of the first channel and,
in one outer side, a stepped leg engaging in an associated
groove in the other flange of the profiled rail. In
this embodiment, therefore, the stepped leg of the facing
panel engages, on the one side, directly in the one
groove whereas, on the other side, the connecting element,
which is held by the approximate central straight leg,
engages in the other groove in the profiled rail. This
ensures a particularly reliable and firm connection which
also permits particularly simple assembly.
Accordingly, the invention is broadly claimed
herein as a structural assembly, for a shower partition
or the like, of the type comprising: a support member
formed wi*h an elonyated first channel having a bottom
surface and opposed longitudinal side flanges, one of
said side flanges defining a groove opening over said
bottom surface; an elongated facing panel fitting into
said first channel and having opposed side edges dis-
posed between said channel side flanges, and a connecting
element interconnecting said support member and said
facing panel, said connecting element engaging into said
groove, the improvement wherein:
- said facing panel is formed with means
defining a second channel opening toward said groove, in
interconnected condition of said support member and said
facing panel;
- said connecting element, when in said
interconnected condition, is mounted partly in said
second channel of said faclng panel and partly in said
groove of said one of said first channel side flanges;
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- sald connecting element is made of
resilient material, and
- said other of said first channel side
flanges and the adjacent edge of said Lacing panel are
formed with interlocking means
whereby said panel member with said connecting element
inserted in said second channel form a sub-assembly which
may be mounted and removed from said support member by
pivotal movement of said assembly about said inter-
locking means to allow resilient engagement and removal
of said connecting element in and out of said groove.
Further characteristics and advantages of the
invention will be gathered from the following des-
cription of embodiments thereof, in conjunction with the
drawing attached hereto, wherein:
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical perspective view
of a structural assembly including a profiled rail and a
facing panel;
Fig. 2 is a partial cross-section through a
somewhat modified profiled rail along the line II-II in
Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the facing panel with
inserted connecting element, as seen in the direction of
arrow III in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 is a plan view of an alternative
embodiment, in which the connecting element is of wave
shape design, that is, longitudinally sinusoidal;
Fig. 5 is a cross-section, similar to that in
Fig. 2, through another embodiment;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another
embodiment, similar to that of Fig. 5.
Fig. 1 illustrates a structural assembly com-
prising a support member shaped as a profiled rail 2
forming the upper guide-rail of a shower partition.
Located inside the profiled rail 2 is a guide-track 4
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upon which rollers, or the like, (not shown), are mounted
for the attachment of a sliding door, in known manner.
Other, similarly designed guide-tracks may be used
if necessary. On its outer face 6, visible to an
observer for example, the profiled rail 2 is formed with
a first channel 10 running in the direction of the
longitudinal axis 8, into which channel 10 a facing
panel 12 is inserted. The channel 10 is undercut in
its side flanges to deEine grooves 14, 16 that are
approximately rectangular in cross-section although they
may have other cross-sectionl shapes, within the scope
of the present invention.
One edge of the facing panel 12 defines a
stepped leg 24 which engages into the groove 16 of the
profiled rail 2. Located approximately centrally of
the facing panel 12 is a web 62 extending toward the
bo-ttom surface 38 of -the first channel 10. This web 62
carries a straight leg 64 which rests upon the bottom
surface 38. This straight leg 64 runs in a direction
contrary to that of the stepped leg 24, namely towards
wards the groove 14. The web 62 and leg 64 provide a
longitudinal second channel 18 which opens towards the
groove 14. Inserted into the second channel 18 is a
generally flat elongated connecting element 28 which
engages into the groove 14 by means of a lateral
projection 34 designed as a latch. A lever 66, connected
to the latch 34 is obtained by cutting out or stamping
out an L-shaped slot 68. The connecting element 28 is
made of a resilient material, more particularly a
synthetic material or metal so that, with the aid of
lever 66, resilient engagement of the latch 34 in the
groove 14 is made possible. The connecting element 28
further has a resilient presser part 70 which provides it
with a bracing force acting in a direction perpendicular
to outer surface 6 and to the bottom surface of the
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first channel 10. This dual spring action, in two
directions a-t right ang]es to each other, prevents
undesired ~,ack and forth sliding oE the connecting
element 28 and also oE the facing panel 12. The fact
that the resilient latch 34 easily ensures the required
bracing of the connecting element 28, on the one hand
in the groove 14 and, on the other hand, against the
web 62, needs no special emphasis. In this embodiment,
the connec-ting element 28 comprises three such latches 34
and two resilient parts 70, the said connecting element
28 being held at a certain distance from the surface of
the profiled rail 2. It may be seen that such s con-
necting element has the same length as the profiled rail
2 itself. However, the connecting element 28 may also
be substantially shorter that the profiled rail 2. In
which a case a plurality of such short connecting
elements may be provided along the full length of the
profiled rail 2.
According to another embodiment, not shown,
the central web 62 may have an additional leg extending in
a direction opposite to that of the above-mentioned
leg 64. The two legs, and the central web 62, thus are
approximately T-shaped in cross-section and, in this
case, two longitudinal second channels 1~3 are provided,
the said channels being open towards the associated
grooves 14, 16, of the profiled rail 2. The said
additional leg, bearing upon the bottom surface of the
profiled rail 2, can then engage directly into the
associated groove or, here again, a connecting element
may be provided, corresponding to the connecting
element already described hereinbefore.
Fig. 2 shows, in part, a cross-section through
a somewhat modified profiled rail, taken along line
II-II in Fig. 1. The first channel 10, the facing
panel 12, and the connecting element 28 are all as
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described in connec-tion with Fig. 1. A stepped leg 24 of
the facing panel 12 engages into the groove 14 of the
profiled rail 2 to form an interlocking means. It should
be emphasized here that leg 24 also rests upon the bottom
surface 38 of the first shannel 10. The straight
leg 64 on the central web 62 also rests against the bottom
surface 38, thus ensuring an overall stable arrangement
and mounting of the facing panel 12 in the profiled
rail 2. The straight leg 64 runs substantially parallel
with the inner surface 44 of the facing panel 12.
Inserted into the longitudinal second channel 18, thus
formed, is the connecting element 28, the latch 34 of
which engaging in the groove 16 of the profiled rail 2.
The facing panel 12, with the inserted connecting
element 28, is shown in dotted lines during assembly. The
stepped leg 24 of the facing panel 12 is first inserted
in the groove 14. Final mounting is effected by simply
pressing the facing panel 12 down towards the surface 38
of the first channel 10, the resiliently arranged latch
being first forced back towards the web 62 and then
engaging into the groove 16. In order to facilitate
these operations, the nose 46 of the latch 34 is given
a rounded contour, as shown.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the facing panel 12,
with the connecting element 28 inserted, when looked at
in the direction of arrow III in Fig. 2, that is
towards inner surEace 44, the rail 2 being removed. The
straight leg 64, running in the direction of longitudinal
axis 8, has a width 72 amounting to at least 25% of the
overall width 74 of the facing panel 12, thus ensuring
that the connecting element 28 is safely and reliably
supported in the second channel 18 thus formed. It is
also important that the top edge 76 of the straight leg
64 run approximately through the middle of the lever-making
slot 68. This gives resilient mobility to the lever 66
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and to -the leg 64 in a direction at right angles to
inner surface 4~ or to the bottom surface 38. The
L-shaped slot 68 makes it possible to bend la-tch 34
resiliently back, in the direction of arrow 50,
Figure 3, into the position shown in dotted lines.
Lever 66 has a predetermined length 78 in the direction
of the longitudinal axis 8. This length 78 may be
adapted to the relevant requirements, taking into
account more particularly the resiliency and strength
of the material of which -the connecting element 28 is
made. In the embodiment illustrated, at least two
latches 34 and resilient parts 70 are provided and
additional latches and resilient parts, or possibly
additional short connecting elements of corresponding
design, may obviously be provided over the whole
length of the profiled rail 2. A part of the latch 34,
or the nose thereof, projects beyond the outer edge 80,
width 82 of slot 68 being selected, according to the
invention, in such a manner that the latch 34 be pressed
unimpededly into the position shown in dotted lines
when the facing panel is inserted.
Fig. 4 is again a plan view of the facing
panel 12 with the connecting element 28 inserted, the
latter having a somewhat wave shape in the direction of
its longitudinal axis. The connecting element 28 is
a blade made of spring-steel, for example, or of a
deformable synthetic material which is similarly
resilient, with an overall depth 84 between crest and
bottom of successive arcs such as arcs 86, 88. One
arc 86 projects beyond the outer edge 80 of the facing
panel 12, while the other arc, or arcs 88, are located
in the longitudinal second channel 18. If, during
insertiong into the profiled rail, not shown here, a
longitudinal pull force F is applied to the connecting
element 28, the depth 84 is reduced. The depth,
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resilient deformability, and the longitudinal pull force
to be applied are related to each other in such a manner
that, upon insertion, the crest 90 can slide without
difficulty on the inner surface of the associated side
flange, of the first channel 10, into which the groove
14 is undercut. In this embodiment, the spring force
acting at right angles to inner surface 44 is
predetermined, according to the invention, by having
corrugations preliminarily formed in the connecting
element 28 perpendicularly to the plane in which the
arcs 86, 88 are located. The arc 86, at least, is
provided with a rounded contour.
It is particularly pointed out here that, upon
insertion, the longitudinal force F is produced
automatically and without any additional measures. For
instance, if the connecting element 28, inserted into
the longitudinal channel 18, is pressed, together with the
facing panel 12, into the profiled rail 2, a force
acting substantially perpendicularly to the plane of the
drawing is created which acts upon upwardly projecting
arc 86. As a result of the construction of the con-
necting element, this also produces a component of
force, so that the longitudinal force F, mentioned
hereinbefore, comes into effect. If necessary, however,
this longitudinal force F may also be applied
additionally, or even partly from the outside.
Fig. 5 illustrates another embodiment, in a
cross-section similar to that in Fig. 2, but in this
case the depth 92 of the longitudinal second channel 18
is comparatively narrow. The connecting element 28 is
in the form of a cord made of rubber, a resilient
synthetic material, or the like, running at right angles
to the plane of the drawing in the direction of the
longitudinal axis. In the direction of the longitudinal
axis, therefore, the cross-section of the connecting
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element 28 is substantially constant, the said cross-
section being approximately circular prior to insertion
of the element 28 into profiled rail 2 Upon insertion
into the proflled rail, the connecting elemen-t 28 is
stretched in the direction of its longitudinal axis,
the resulting reduction in cross-section making it
possible for the outer edge 90, shown here in dotted
lines, of the said connecting element 28 to slide upon
the inner edge 9~ of the relevant side flange of the
channel 10. The longitudinal force is thereafter taken
by the connecting element 28, making it possible for a
cross-sectional expansion to take place in the manner
shown. As may be seen, the outer edge 90 is also
pressed, to some extent, out of the resilient con-
necting element 28, so that the originally completelycircular cross-section no longer obtains. This is a
particularly simple way of maintaining constant the
mutual bracing between the facing panel 12 and the
profiled rail 2. This is of critical importance in
obtaining a connection free from play, with produc-tion
tolerances being easily compensated for. According
to the invention, inadvertent slipping or displacement
of the facing panel 12 in the profiled rail 2 is thus
avoided. Again, in this embodiment, a resilient area
is provided which corresponds to the tongue 9Q
mentioned hereinbefore.
Fig. 6 illustrates another embodiment wherein
the web 62 is curved. This web rests upon the bottom
surface 38 and defines the laterally open second channel
18. Arranged in the said channel is the resiliently
flexible connecting element 28, the cross-section of
which is annular. The said connecting element likewise
bears upon the inner surface of the relevant side flange
of the channel 10, a contact force being also produced
by appropriate dimensioning. A force component directed
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towards -the bottom surface 38 comes into effect. The
facing panel 12 is -thus reliably secured in the first
channel 10 of the profiled rail 2 by the connecting
element 28. The stepped leg 24 of -the facing panel 12
enters into opposing groove 16. The shape of this leg is
adapted to the contour of groove 16.
In the embodiment described above, one leg of
facing panel 12 engages in the one groove 16, whereas
the connecting element 28 enters into the opposing
groove 14~ Also within the scope of the invention,
however, are embodiments in which the facing panel is
secured in the opposing grooves by means of a connecting
element in the manner described hereinbefore.
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